I don't know why, but for some reason, my need for material things diminished after getting married. I guess part of it is because everything that I need, I still have (and are working pretty well or in good condition.) Because of this, Gerald and I decided to make things different by celebrating our wedding anniversaries like we've never done before. Instead of giving each other material things like we used to do as girlfriend-boyfriend, we decided to give each other new experiences.
Gerald and I always wanted to dine in Spiral but never found a good reason to splurge on such an expensive buffet. So we took this opportunity as an excuse to finally try the Spiral buffet. Added to that, we never had a staycation in a luxury hotel. So we stayed overnight at Sofitel as well.
Overall, our Sofitel experience was surreal. It provided us with the much-needed R&R we had been craving for all year.
We started our day by getting the Power Deal vouchers we ordered on their website. For 3,900 pesos per person, you get the ultimate pampering experience: 1.) Spiral lunch buffet valued at 2500 pesos; 2.) Le Spa massage valued at 3000 pesos; 3.) Vietura Diamond Peel Treatment valued at 2500 pesos; 4.) Philippe Tordjman hair cut valued at 1200 pesos; 5.) Nail Artisan manicure or pedicure valued at 550 pesos. This deal is actually still at their website. Click here to check if you could still book the Power Deal vouchers.
The Spiral lunch buffet was good, but not something I would pay for at full price.
It was easy to feel overwhelmed by the food selection, partly because some of the dishes available were not offered by other buffets. However, objectively speaking, the food choices weren't as many as people made it out to be.
We were both underwhelmed by the quality of the food available at the Asian cuisine section. Don't get me wrong. It was good. But it didn't really justify the price difference. I guess our standards were pretty high, especially for Filipino food. However, I did like the food from the French-Italian cuisine. It was really good, as buffet standards goes.
We LOVED the cheese room though. As wine lovers, Ge and I indulged ourselves by eating the varieties of expensive cheese and cold cuts. THIS, I think, made the buffet totally worth the price we paid for in the promo.
After enjoying our lunch buffet, we checked in and waited for our Le Spa massage appointment.
The massage room we used was equipped with a shower room and a mini vault to store your valuables. The masseurs were really strong so I was able to get the hard massage I needed for my aching shoulders. I'd say the experience was really good for me. (Plus the free-flowing ginger tea they offered was delicious.) But would I pay 3,000 pesos for it on an ordinary day? Most likely not.
Our dinner at the Sunset Bar was nice and romantic. The food was really good too (even though they were expensive af). I do think we got the best value though, since we ordered food (salmon and lamb) that was expensive in supermarkets and restaurants anyway.
The next day, Ge and I enjoyed the rest of our Power Deal vouchers.
The breakfast buffet at Spiral (included with our overnight stay) was really good. There were plenty of choices (almost the same as the lunch buffet), and it's safe to say the price of their rooms seemed worth it because of this.
Our haircut at Philippe Tordjman was okay. The stylists were friendly and accommodating, but that's about it.
We then got our nails done at Nail Artisan and experienced our very first diamond peel at Vietura Aesthetic Lifestyle.
It was both very nice. I loved the color of my nails! Plus, it was our first time getting a diamond peel. That makes another new experience taken off our list of firsts.
Funny enough, we ended our day at a supermarket. Lol! A little anti-climactic to an otherwise lovely anniversary celebration. :P
I hope you enjoyed reading my blog post! Till the next one!
I hope you enjoyed reading my blog post! Till the next one!
